Swim event honors Alzheimer's victims, raises awareness

Brendan Weiner rings the cowbell signaling one lap left during the Swim To Remember event at Olympic High School on Saturday.
(MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN)

KITSAP SUN

The smell of pizza and chocolate chip cookies mixed with the heavy fragrance of chlorine as swimmers pushed themselves, lap after lap, at the Olympic High School pool.

Saturday's swim wasn't just a social gathering, but a time for swimmers to support teammate Brendan Weiner and give back to a cause he holds dear.

Weiner, a senior at Central Kitsap and member of the swim team, hosted the second Swim to Remember to raise awareness and benefit the Alzheimer's Association.

The event began last year by CK teammate Jeremy Torres. Torres' grandfather, Efren Magann, died from Alzheimer's last January. Torres needed a senior project and the Swim to Remember event was born.

Weiner's grandmother, Flora Power, died of the disease last spring. Weiner decided to continue the event for his senior project.

"I figured it would be a good way to honor her and raise awareness by continuing this," Weiner said.

Weiner said he was close to his grandmother until the end.

"Which is rough," he said. "That affected us for at least two, three, four years. So that was at least somewhere in our minds, so this is a good way to have a little closure."

Weiner said families struggle watching loved ones slowly leave them.

"It's the nature of the beast," he said. "You can't do anything about the disease while someone has it. That's what we're doing, we're trying to raise money for a cure or treatments.

"There's not much you can do for someone who has it until it's over and you can do something like this."

About 40 swimmers, including Weiner's teammates, CK coach Steve LeHaie, and club teammates from the Bainbridge Island Swim Club and Olympic Aquatic Club, signed up to swim the 500 yards. All proceeds from the registration fee and donations will go to the Alzheimer's Association.

Weiner estimates he will have raised about $775.

"Everyone's been very supportive," he said. "It's more than what we expected."

Jeremy Torres' parents, Pete and Elaine Torres of Silverdale, were on hand to support the swimmers.

Jeremy Torres is swimming at Division III Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y.

Elaine Torres said they appreciate seeing the event continue.

"It means so much that these kids are stepping up and just trying to maintain the memory of their loved one," she said. "When you have awareness you have more funding for the research and maybe someday, hopefully, find a cure."